All posts in Current Affairs

Unreported Africa

by Hugh on July 21, 2010 in Current Affairs, Life, Politics with No comments

Something else I meant to say following the trip out to Malawi was to note, with some concern, the role that China is playing in the development of Africa.

The first time I noticed this was at Addis Ababa airport where a large group of Chinese engineers (they had hard hats) was waiting to board a flight to another part of Africa (possibly Nigeria). This disturbed me, mainly because one of them spat on the marble floor of the airport – disgusting! I found a story in the New York Times reporting on China’s resource exploration of Chad, maybe they were on their way there…

The second time I noticed this was on the way in to the centre of Lilongwe. The Peoples Republic of China are building a new parliament building for Malawi, at a cost of around 2 Billion Kwacha (about £40 million). Now there are a number of questions that surround that…

Why did they need a new building? Couldn’t that money have been better spent? What are China hoping to gain from this? All valid questions, with the third question being most puzzling and concerning as China position themselves to have a potentially unhealthy influence in African politics.

There is another dimension to this story. This project is not providing massive employment for the Malawian people because the construction workers are Chinese, often Chinese convicts released from prison to work in Malawi, and with Chinese convicts bored in Malawi there have been reports of crimes including rape having been committed by them.

Is this a Chinese takeover? A solution to their overpopulation? A global search for natural resources? Whatever it is it strikes me as a development that needs to be watched with care…

Tactical Weaknesses

by Hugh on June 19, 2010 in Current Affairs with 4 Comments

Well last night was fun wasn’t it? Waste of 90 minutes of my life.

Hey, Fab, here are two changes which would make England play better:

First – take off Heskey, now whatever you think about Heskey as a player, the tactics clearly aren’t working. He doesn’t seem able to link up with Rooney (which is a major problem). But more crucially having Heskey on the picture causes England to play long ball football, not pretty, so far not successful because the gap between forwards and midfield is too great. Even if Heskey can bring the ball down there’s usually little option. The change needed is either to go for a 4-5-1 with say Gerard playing off Rooney, or keep the 4-4-2 but try playing Rooney and Defoe instead.

Second – if you play a 4-4-2 you need some width. Last night Lennon didn’t seem to want to run with the ball, and there was no one down the left. Cole and Johnson, two of the most attacking wing-backs in the world rarely crossed the half-way line in anger. So, everything was aimed through the middle, where Gerard and Lampard under perform. So rather than sticking to Gerard-Lampard-Barry, and sacrificing your width, I would play Wright-Phillips down the right, Lennon down the left and probably Gerard and Lampard in the centre, add Barry into the mix if you play a 4-5-1.

I think these two tactical observations are hardly ground-breaking… Fabio must have seen these, so it’s bizarre that he didn’t address them. I wonder if it is fear… particularly on the width side… where were Cole and Johnson? Why did Lennon not run with the ball? Who was playing left midfield?

Fabio – change it! Maybe this guy was right…

Pregnant or Fat?

by Hugh on June 10, 2010 in Current Affairs with 6 Comments

Have you ever played this game? I have. Few people admit to it, but I think most people do on the inside!

Apparently it’s pretty embarrasing when you get it wrong and you offer your seat to a fat lady on the train, as this report from the BBC Website suggests.

If I do get a seat on the train, which is rare if travelling from New Malden, but common from Portslade, then my trick is to sit with head in hands, sleep or pretend to sleep… that way if someone who may be pregnant joins the train then it’s easy to pretend I haven’t seen them… no awkwardness, no need to move, and I don’t look like an awful man for not giving up my seat – does this make me a bad person?

A Parable of a Rich Fool

by Hugh on April 6, 2010 in Current Affairs, Faith with No comments

I picked up this story on Sky News last week. What a tragedy!

There are many clichés like “money doesn’t buy you happiness”… I think they are true and this story proves it!

A former baker who won £9m on the Lottery has died, five years after scooping the jackpot which sent his life downhill.
Louise and Keith Gough, on the day they were unveiled as lottery winners
Keith Gough, 58, died on Saturday at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, Shropshire; it is believed he suffered a heart attack.
Mr Gough won the jackpot in June 2005 after his wife, Louise, bought a lucky dip.
The couple, who had been married for 25 years with a 12-year-old son, split two years later.
Mr Gough reportedly received £1.5m from the divorce and bought a house in Cheshire, hiring a chauffeur and a gardener to help with the upkeep.
He went on to spend much of his winnings on racehorses, fast cars and an executive box at Aston Villa – and he was also tricked out of £700,000 over two years.

Sky News

Massacres in Nigeria

by Hugh on March 9, 2010 in Current Affairs, Faith with No comments

This week, hundreds of men, women and children were butchered in Nigeria, for being Christians, by Muslims. Islam = Religion of Peace? PRAY for Christians in Nigeria.

Archbishop Ben Kwashi said:

“It was not a good sight at all. The villagers had no chance whatsoever. They were slaughtered. I could see machete wounds in the necks of children. Kids from age zero to teenagers, all butchered from the back, macheted in their necks, their heads. Deep cuts in the mouths of babies. The stench. People wailing and crying. Some have lost their voices. I could not stand it. From what I saw from a distance, it was over 100 killed in one village. I don’t know what sparked it off. I thought we were making headway after the previous crisis in January.”

Ruth Gledhill – The Times

Barnabas Fund

Question Time, Nick Griffin and all that..

by Hugh on October 23, 2009 in Current Affairs, Politics with No comments

nickgriffin Well done BBC for not bowing to the pressure of left-wing fascists (who as you saw on the news caused a riot, attacking the police). How dare people ever use fascist methods to suppress free speech, and the right for democratically elected political parties to speak.

On the reverse side, I would criticise the BBC for not getting in a better supporting panel… Jack Straw and Chris Huhne were just a bit wet… while the whole debate turned on Nick Griffin in a personal not very nice way… I think politicians like Nigel Farage (UKIP) and George Galloway (Respect) are idiots, both personally and politically – but I wouldn’t expect them to be subject to personal barrages on Question Time.

Anyway… I fundamental disagree with the BNP. But tonight’s Question Time highlighted two key points:

The major parties do not have a coherent answer to the question of immigration and the genuine concerns of the British public
Nick Griffin is right on two key issues (see below)

Islam - Griffin rightly points to the dangers of fundamentalism within Islam and also the worrying mandates that the Qu’ran gives. This is firstly good because it is free speech without worrying about the label of ‘Islamaphobia’. Interestingly a Muslim turned round to highlight the evils of Revelation and Jesus returning to rule… funny, as Islam also teaches that Jesus (Isa) will return to bring final judgement.

Section 28 – Griffin describes the teaching of homosexuality (in fact any sex) in primary schools as perverse. I agree – that may be naive given how quick young people ‘grow up’, but either way, even if necessary, it is perverse that primary school kids need sex education.

Anyway… well done BBC, Griffin looked stupid, was exposed as a racist, but equally highlighted key failures of the main political parties… it’s too easy for Jack Straw to just turn round and say “be quiet you racists”… without actually engaging in the political questions they put forward!

Would Churchill have been in the BNP?

by Hugh on October 22, 2009 in Current Affairs, Politics with No comments

churchill_winston The opening question of discussion on BBC Question Time tonight:

What about Churchill on Islam…

“How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries…

…Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science – the science against which it had vainly struggled – the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient” Rome.

Churchill on immigration…

‘Problems wh. will arise if many coloured people settle here. Are we to saddle ourselves with colour problems in UK? Attracted by Welfare State. Public opinion in UK won’t tolerate it once it gets beyond certain limits.’

Churchill on Jews…

“The central fact which dominates the relations of Jew and non-Jew is that the Jew is ‘different.’ He looks different. He thinks differently. He has a different tradition and background. He refuses to be absorbed.”

Urrr… Churchill, based on these quotes certainly wouldn’t have been PC enough for any major political party. He may not have aligned himself with the BNP, he’s certainly a national hero… but let’s not look at Churchill with rose-tinted glasses!

Some thoughts on Ali al-Megrahi

by Hugh on September 3, 2009 in Current Affairs, Faith, Politics with 1 Comment

Well it looks as though the fuss over the Lockerbie bomber, Ali al-Megrahi is slowly dying down. But while it’s still in the news I wanted to pen a few thoughts that have been brewing over the last few weeks, that perhaps show some inconsistency and hyperbole in what’s going on:

I wasn’t on the jury that convicted al-Megrahi (surprisingly), but the evidence presently looks somewhat tenuous…
If al-Megrahi was indeed guilty, then it seems likely that he was sponsored or in some way directly or indirectly supported by the Libyan regime. With that in mind is it fair to make al-Megrahi a scapegoat while we make friends with Colnell Gadaffi…?
Ronnie Biggs (a Great Train Robber) was also released from a prison sentence earlier this year on compassionate grounds… sure he didn’t kill 270 people, but he was English and didn’t upset any Americans, which also helps his case. But no-one that I heard claimed it was wrong to release Biggs.
There’s talk of Brown making concessions to Libya for oil and trade deals… David Cameron came out stronly against this, saying he wouldn’t have released al-Megrahi. The reality is that if this was the case, Cameron would have, and he would have been right to if it was in the interests of the UK.
Why should mercy be contradictory to justice?

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.” – Zechariah 7:9

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face – Psalm 89:14

The Mercy and Justice of God is most wonderfully displayed at Calvary… Jesus is crucified, he dies, taking the punishment for your sin and my sin – justice is served, but it’s also merciful, God pours his just anger at sin on himself, letting you go free into new life! Amen

Ashes

by Hugh on August 23, 2009 in Current Affairs with 2 Comments

England Regain the Ashes

So it wasn’t as good as 2005. The series was a bit patchy. Two draws. Fewer characters on both teams. But who cares, England won the Ashes!

I’ll be honest, with Ponting and Hussey set I was feeling a little bit nervous, but the turning point was big Fred’s run out… what a hero!

Unite Against Fascism?

by Hugh on June 9, 2009 in Current Affairs, Politics with 2 Comments

So I was just watching the news and newsnight following the incident where the BNP’s press conference was broken up by the Unite Against Fascism group – a gang of 50 people turned up shouting, hitting them with placards and throwing eggs. Then you get some really stupid spokesman on newsnight saying how the BNP have no right to be heard – with really weak arguments.

Now, I should say that I have never voted for the BNP or supported their policies – but about 1,000,000 British people said they do… that alone gives them a right to be heard – it’s called FREE SPEECH, and DEMOCRACY.

That’s my first reason for not supporting UAF. The second reason is that the methods they employ are the same methods used by Fascists throughout history… intimidation, silencing free speech, negative propaganda… it’s just a huge irony and hypocricy that you can think it right to use Fascist methods against Fascists!

Here’s my third reason… UAF are stupid… Nick Griffin’s press conference probably wouldn’t have made it to the main news tonight, but the actions of UAF get them to the headlines, more airtime, and an opportunity to promote his policies and attack Labour and the Conservatives!

The BNP need to be defeated through free speech, honest debate, and the Government and opposition to step up and actually deal with the real problems affecting real people throughout the UK!